Three King County residents are monitoring for hantavirus symptoms after potential exposure linked to a cruise ship outbreak. Officials said public risk remains low.
SEATTLE — Three King County residents were potentially exposed to hantavirus that is linked to the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, the health department confirmed Tuesday.
Two King County residents were seated on an April 25 direct flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Seattle within two seats of an ill cruise ship passenger. The sick passenger was removed from the plane before takeoff, and that person later tested positive for hantavirus.
The sick passenger was on the plane for about an hour, although health officials don’t know how long the residents were on the plane with that person, according to Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, health officer and acting director for Public Health – Seattle & King County.
A third King County resident was a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Public Health – Seattle & King County said the Washington State Department of Health notified it May 10 of the potential exposures. On May 11, Public Health was able to contact the two King County residents who were on the airplane and alert them to their potential exposure. The residents are in the same household.
All three residents are asymptomatic, according to Public Health.
The two residents who were potentially exposed on the airplane are monitoring for symptoms at home, including daily temperature checks and communication with Public Health. The health department will monitor the residents through June 6, which is the full exposure period. Until then, the residents are limiting their movement outside the home to essential activities and wearing well-fitting masks or respirators while in public, Valenciano said.
Valenciano said the county has strong contact tracing protocols in place, which have helped contained the spread of hantavirus in previous outbreaks.
The resident who was on the cruise is monitoring for symptoms at the national quarantine center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which is where other American passengers are being quarantined. Valenciano said it is unknown how long that person will be monitored as it hasn’t been determined when that resident will return to King County.
There are no confirmed hantavirus cases in King County. Health officials said the risk to the public is low.
There are nine confirmed cases of hantavirus connected to the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius as of May 12, according to the World Health Organization. Three people on the cruise died.
Hantavirus is primarily spread from contact with wild rodents, such as exposure to urine, droppings and saliva. The Andes virus, which is the strain connected to the cruise ship, is the only type of hantavirus that can spread from person to person. Transmission is rare, Public Health said, and typically requires prolonged close contact with someone who is sick.
Valenciano said this hantavirus outbreak is a very different situation from the COVID-19 outbreak, because little was known about COVID when it emerged.
“In contrast, we have a lot more information about hantavirus and how it spreads,” Valenciano said in a statement.
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